A new music shop is hoping to run listening evenings, to introduce people to different music.

James Brown has opened the Vinyl Cafe, on Abbey Street, in Carlisle city centre, where he sells vinyl records as well as coffees, teas and baked food.

Mr Brown, 44, who lives in Dacre, near Penrith, said: "I am a customer myself, I wanted a record shop that was comfortable to browse in.

"This is an environment where you can come in, relax and listen to music. You can play the records first before you buy them."

During the listening evenings, he will play two entire albums in their entirety.

The shop has unique features including a shop mannequin with a wardrobe tailored to the season currently including a wristband, straw hat and wellies to celebrate summer festivals - a 'year of the week', a 'mix crate' of random records and he is also collecting old, scratched records to upcycle.

Before starting the shop he worked for Wetmorland Ltd as a landscape gardener and had been in this trade all of his life.

Mr Brown praised the support he had had from neighbouring shops.

His fiancee Lynn Simpson, 43, works in the shop where she handles the catering side of the business.